Armagh 1-16 Tyrone 1-10
In the end the Armagh people spilled on to the Athletic Grounds as if reaching a sort of Promised Land. An opening round win in the All-Ireland football qualifier is one thing, beating the defending All-Ireland champions out the city gate is bigger still.
If it appeared a slightly exaggerated celebration it certainly wasn’t without due cause, Armagh thoroughly deserving of the victory over a Tyrone challenge which at times bordered on the feeble. Rarely have defending champions made as tame and unceremonious an exit.
It was the near complete team performance too from Armagh, 10 different scorers, with special mention going to goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty. The recently converted midfielder displayed his clearly natural eye and foot for a score after roaming forward to strike two points from play, one in each half.
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Tyrone’s most notable resistance came in the third minute, thanks to a sweetly finished goal by Conor McKenna, pouncing on the ball after Rafferty initially saved from Rory Brennan. Once Armagh hit the front after a goal of their own after 15 minutes, Aidan Nugent racing forward to score from an acute angle, skinning Peter Teague, their spirit soared and they might well have had two more goals in that half.
Although only a point up at the break, they poured increasing pace and energy into their game and Tyrone simply failed to match it, playing the opening period of the second half with 14 men after Richard Donnelly was black-carded, and finishing with just 1-5 from play. Darren McCurry did his best to keep up the chase, scoring 0-7, four frees and one mark, with the introduction of Darragh Canavan not making much difference.
Three Armagh points came off the bench, two from the excellent Andrew Murnin and another from Conor Turbitt. There is unquestionable depth and quality and verve in this Armagh team, and if they can further maximise it they’ll be a hard test for anybody from here on.
Armagh got 1-13 from play, Rian O’Neill playing a largely defensive role, Stefan Campbell magnificent in setting up several scores and adding two of his own from play. Four unanswered points early in the second half, including that second from Rafferty, pushed them six points clear, the cushion they finished with in the end.
They lost the excellent Connaire Mackin to a neck injury after he was involved in a heavy collision with Michael McKernan on 62 minutes; overall Armagh’s defence well up to task.
Team coach Kieran Donaghy, the former Kerry footballer now proudly wearing his Armagh cap, invited us into the side dressingroom to assess the victory and the first thing he referenced was the lingering disappointment of their own tame exit in the Ulster Championship against Donegal.
“With Tyrone you know how good they are, what they did last year as a team, and then you’ve the whole rivalry going back,” said Donaghy. “Look, our fellas were very disappointed with the performance against Donegal, and in fairness you have to give them credit, they really worked hard in the last six weeks, we asked above and beyond out of them and they were never found wanting.
“When you put in that kind of hard graft in training sessions it kind of bonds the group, and they’re a really tight group as it is. So delighted for them, delighted for Kieran McGeeney, as a manager, the work he’s put into this group from where they came from eight years ago.
“I’m delighted for the group to get through a round, which is what it is. Obviously if you don’t get through this round it’s a long year, you’re gone. So delighted to be in the draw for round two, and to be driving back up to training on Tuesday.”
For Tyrone joint-manager Feargal Logan the obviously damning question was why his team have failed to reach the heights of last summer.
“It’s a very intangible and difficult thing,” said Logan. “In terms of focus, and hunger and all those things. It’s very hard to put your finger on it. We thought we would kick-start some day and thought today could be the day. But it didn’t.
“That’s our issue to live with now. Dealing with success, it’s not easy and we saw it all year really. You have to hand it to Armagh, they played very well, a strong performance. We had a couple of warnings from them towards the start of the year and we couldn’t match it today. We have to congratulate them and look at ourselves. And that’s life, that’s football.
“Lots of teams struggle, Limerick hurlers struggled badly with their first All-Ireland. It’s not an issue unique to Tyrone, it’s a matter that relates to a lot of teams when they win. Not a lot throws you off kilter in an intense match like that. Anything was fairly subtle and nuanced to be honest. There’s nothing very obvious.”
The teams saw five red cards last time they met, Armagh also winning that league match at this same ground, adding to their McKenna Cup in January; Tyrone showed more bite both those days.
In his beaming assessment Donaghy suggested too that it probably amounts to something bigger than just qualifier win, especially taking out the All-Ireland champions.
“It probably does, but we’re realistic enough to know that when we wake up tomorrow morning, the plan will start for whoever we get in the draw. And then it will really dawn on us that it was just a round, and that we have to really go to work this week and have to be even better.
“But it’s a big win, no doubt. If used correctly, yeah. You’re playing a provincial loser, so you’re playing a team that has got into a provincial final. They’ve had two weeks to regroup after the loss; there are good teams in there. But we fancy ourselves as a good team as well.”
ARMAGH: E Rafferty (0-2); J Morgan, A Forker, C O’Neill (0-1); A McKay, G McCabe, J Óg Burns; S Sheridan (0-1), B Crealey; R Grugan (0-1), S Campbell (0-2), P Burns; A Nugent (1-1), R O’Neill (0-4, three frees), J Duffy (0-1).
Subs: C Mackin for Burns (33 mins), C Turbitt (0-1) for C O’Neill (half-time), J Hall for Duffy, A Murnin (0-2) for Nugent (both 58), M Shields for Mackin (67, head injury), R McQuillan for Sheridan (74).
TYRONE: N Morgan; P Teague, R McNamee, P Hampsey; M McKernan, P Harte (0-1), R Brennan; C Kilpatrick (0-1), F Burns; C Meyler, M O’Neill, N Sludden; D McCurry (0-7, four frees, one mark), M Donnelly, C McKenna (1-0).
Subs: K McGeary for Teague (30 mins), R Donnelly (0-1) for Sludden (h-t), D Canavan for Burns (50), C McShane for M Donnelly (54), M McGleenan for O’Neill (73)
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath).
